Improvement in tracking attachments for vehicle-shafts



V. WSEPH B. NEGLY. improvement in Tracking Aitachmentfor Vehicle-Shafts E No. 126,225. PatntedAprH30,l872.

UNITED STATES FFICE.

JOSEPH B. NEGLY, OF FAIRVIEW, ILLINOIS. 1

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 126,225, dated April 30, 1872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH B. NEGLY, of Fairview, in the county of Fulton, in the State of Illinois, have invented a Rut or Wheel- Tracking Attachment to VehicleShafts; and do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the annexed drawing making a part of this specification, in which like letters of reference refer to like parts, and in which- Figure 1 represents a plan of shafts, axletree, and the attachment for tracking; Fig. 2, side or longitudinal elevation of same; Fig. 3, perspective view of the coupled parts and attachment E; Fig. 4, perspective view of tracking attachment detached, so as to show its construction.

This invention has for its object to make a sin gle-horse vehicle track or run in the wheel-tracks formed by the wheels of twohorse vehicles, so as to take advantage of the general wheel-track, instead of running the wheels at random over the rougher portion of the road. To do this, I detach the coupling of one of either of the shafts A A from the axle-tree O and insert a coupling or extensionplate E between the sundered joints a 6, so as to keep these parts at about the distance of seven and one-half inches, more or less, asunder. This throws the shafts and horse over to one side of the line of progress of the vehicle, so that the wheels all immediately track with those of two-horse vehicles.

In the drawing, A A are the shafts, constructed in the ordinary or usual manner; B, the cross-bar or brace; O, the axle-tree; E, the inserted tracking attachment, better seen in perspective in Fig. 4. Any coupling or tracking attachment made in a similar form, or having eyes or passages for the usual coupling-bolt b at either end will acomplish the same object-i. e., the attachment of the tracking attachment at one of its ends to the axlejoint 0, and at the other end to the shaft-joint a. In the model I have, however, employed a plate or bent strap of iron, E, curved to fit the lower surface of the shaft A, to which it is attached by the screw or bolt h, which at once secures this and the usual joint-strap g. Beyond the joint a of the latter this device extends to the rear about eight inches, so as to joints to c, (of course the width of the vehicle and other cause may require different adjustment as to length,) and terminates in a similar hinge-joint, e, which now represents that at a, and now is the actual coupling of the shaftjoint 0 of the axle-tree G, a pin or bolt uniting the two. The other joint a of the shaft is now used in connection with a clamp, f, and bolt 1), to confine the lower point of shaft to the iron strap or buggy-tracker E. This clamp f is a plate of iron passing beneath the strap E, below the joint (1., and has two vertical arms with eyes or bolt-holes, which fit respectively over each end of the joint a, the two parts being threaded by a bolt, 1).

The operation of this invention is as follows: To make a Vehicle (with shafts) drawn by a single horse track with double-horse vehicles, the coupling-bolt b, which unites one of the shafts to the axle-tree O is removed, and the piece E is introduced between the said joints by bolting the upper end of the attachment E to the shaftA by the same bolt h, which unites the joint'strap g with said shaft, and then clamping the joint a at end of joint-strap g to the attachment E by means of the clamp f, which, being threaded by a bolt, at once unites the end of the shaft with the attachment by passage of said bolt through the eyes of the clamp and the joint a. Finally, the joint e of the attachment E is bolted to the axle-tree joint 0, and the union is effected. This change and attachment of the invention maybe accomplished in five minutes, or less time, and when done will enable the traveler to take advantage of the leveled part of roads made by'two-horse vehicles, or the passage of their wheels, by throwing the horse into one of the double tracks thus made, by the simple process of changing the direction of the draft of the vehicle, as described.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. The combination of the coupling extension or tracking attachment E, orits equivalent, with the vehicle-shaft A and the axletree 0, when inserted at or between the coup ling-j oints a a, substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. The combination and construction of the tracking attachment E e f b, the shaft A, joint to, axle-tree G, and joint 0, as described.

3. The extension of either shaft of a vehicle by means ofthe extension couplingE, or equivalent mode of throwing the shafts toward one side of the Vehicle, so that when the single horse attached Walks in the one path made by a double team, the Vehicle will run straightin the track made by said double team, substan tially as and for the purposes described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing attachment to Vehicle-shafts, I have hereunto set my hand this 12th day of February, 1872.

JOSEPH B. NEGLY.

Witnesses:

FRANK B. LERMOND, CLIFTON N. HENKLE. 

